The Screaming Frog SEO Spider Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Screaming Frog SEO Spider in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
The Insider’s Guide
Desktop website crawler for technical SEO audits
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among SEO tools, read from Screaming Frog SEO Spider’s own pages.
Made by Screaming Frog Ltd · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Screaming Frog SEO Spider’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Screaming Frog SEO Spider’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 12 of the 21 other SEO tools we grade
The Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux that crawls a website the way a search engine does and reports over 300 SEO issues, from broken links and redirects to duplicate pages and missing metadata. The free version crawls up to 500 URLs; a yearly licence per user removes the limit and adds JavaScript rendering, scheduling, crawl comparison and data integrations.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Screaming Frog SEO Spider, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Enter a URL and it crawls, but reading the results takes technical SEO knowledge, and custom extraction runs on XPath, CSS Path or regex.
- 1
Best for technical site audits on your own computer
It's a desktop program and it's technical, so expect to learn it.
- 2
Paid plans start at $23.25 a month when paid by the year for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $279 per user / year.
- 3
There is a free plan
Free version, no sign-up: crawls up to 500 URLs at a time with the core audits, but cannot save crawls, change the crawl configuration, render JavaScript or use integrations.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Windows, macOS and Linux.
- 5
Technical SEO audit
Find broken links, server errors, redirect chains, missing or duplicate titles and descriptions, and directives such as noindex and canonicals.
- 6
JavaScript rendering
With a licence, render pages in a built-in Chromium to crawl sites built with frameworks such as React, Angular and Vue.
- 7
Custom extraction and search
Pull any data from page HTML with XPath, CSS Path or regex, and search source code across a whole crawl (licence only).
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 12 of 21
That is against the other SEO tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Screaming Frog SEO Spider you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $279 per user / year
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- Made by
- Screaming Frog Ltd
- Category
- SEO Tools
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for technical site audits on your own computer
The SEO Spider crawls your site the way a search engine does and lists everything wrong with it: broken links, redirects, duplicate pages, missing titles. The free version handles 500 URLs, and a licence is $279 a year per user. It's a desktop program and it's technical, so expect to learn it.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Graded against its alternatives. A licence is $279 a year per user, about $23.25 a month, with no crawl limit and JavaScript rendering. Only Sitebulb Lite is cheaper, and it stops at 10,000 URLs; Semrush and Ahrefs cost about five times as much. |
| Free plan and trial | B | A free version with no sign-up crawls up to 500 URLs with the core audits, for as long as you like, so small sites can live on it. It can't save crawls, change settings, render JavaScript or pull in Google data. |
| Features | C | It does the crawling job fully: 300+ issues, JavaScript rendering, custom extraction, scheduling, crawl comparison and sitemaps. But that's one part of SEO, with no keyword research, rank tracking or backlink index. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. Enter a URL and it crawls, but reading the results takes technical SEO knowledge, and custom extraction runs on XPath, CSS Path or regex. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | A program for Windows, Mac and Linux, linked to Google Analytics, Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, OpenAI, Gemini, Looker Studio and Sheets. Computers only, with no web or phone version. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Screaming Frog SEO Spider is for
- Great if you're a technical SEO who audits big sites from your own machine
- Handy when you're moving a site and need to check every redirect
- Good for small sites under 500 URLs, which the free version covers for good
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want keyword research or rankings, as it only crawls
- Not for you if you'd rather not learn technical SEO terms
- Tight if your computer is short on memory, since crawl size depends on it
Good to know
Good for
- Technical SEOs auditing large sites from their own computer
- Site migrations, where redirects and staging need checking against production
- Small sites under 500 URLs, which can use the free version indefinitely
Worth knowing
- Licences are per user and last one year; two people need two licences.
- It is a desktop app, so crawl size depends on the computer's memory and storage.
- The free version cannot save crawls, render JavaScript, schedule audits or connect to Google data.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$23.25
A month to start, paid by the year, for each person. There is a free plan too
Screaming Frog SEO Spider has a free plan. Paid plans start at $279 per user / year.
It can't save crawls, change settings, render JavaScript or pull in Google data.
Free
$0
Up to 500 URLs per crawl, broken links, redirects, metadata, duplicates, XML sitemaps and site visualisations.
Paid licence
$279
per user / year, for 1 to 4 licences
No crawl limit beyond memory and storage, saved crawls, scheduling, JavaScript rendering, crawl comparison, integrations and support. £199 in pounds.
The free plan
Free version, no sign-up: crawls up to 500 URLs at a time with the core audits, but cannot save crawls, change the crawl configuration, render JavaScript or use integrations.
Read from screamingfrog.co.uk on Oct 17, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Other savings
Volume pricing from 5 licences
Buying 5 to 9 licences at once costs $265 each a year, 10 to 19 cost $249 each, and 20 or more cost $235 each, against $279 for 1 to 4.
Stated on screamingfrog.co.uk
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: macOS, Windows and Linux
Desktop website crawler for technical SEO audits. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, reports, site audit.
But that's one part of SEO, with no keyword research, rank tracking or backlink index.
- Technical SEO audit
- Find broken links, server errors, redirect chains, missing or duplicate titles and descriptions, and directives such as noindex and canonicals.
- JavaScript rendering
- With a licence, render pages in a built-in Chromium to crawl sites built with frameworks such as React, Angular and Vue.
- Custom extraction and search
- Pull any data from page HTML with XPath, CSS Path or regex, and search source code across a whole crawl (licence only).
- Google and AI integrations
- Pull Google Analytics, Search Console and PageSpeed Insights data into a crawl, or run pages through OpenAI and Gemini (licence only).
- Scheduling and crawl comparison
- Schedule crawls with exports to Google Sheets or run them from the command line, and compare crawls or staging against production.
- Site visualisations and sitemaps
- See site structure as force-directed and tree diagrams, and generate XML and image sitemaps from a crawl.
Where it runs
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
What it works with
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- PageSpeed Insights
- OpenAI
- Gemini
- Looker Studio
- Google Sheets
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is made by Screaming Frog Ltd.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
12/21
Other SEO tools it is graded above
Screaming Frog SEO Spider's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 12 of the 21 other SEO tools we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 20 of 21) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $23.25 a month when paid by the year for each person, against a middle price of $34.45 for the category: 7 of the 21 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 6 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Screaming Frog SEO Spider’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 12 of 21
- BFree plan and trialAbove 20 of 21
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 21
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 21
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 21
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 22 SEO tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Screaming Frog SEO Spider you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $279 a year.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A crawler that checks every page of a site.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Google Analytics, Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Screaming Frog SEO Spider’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Sitebulb, Semrush, Ahrefs, SEO PowerSuite and Seobility
The 5 tools Screaming Frog SEO Spider is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Sitebulb
Free trial · from $18/mo
Website auditing crawler for Windows and Mac, with a cloud edition.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider has a free plan. Sitebulb does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Screaming Frog SEO Spider lists a Linux app.
- Only Sitebulb lists a web app.
- 2.2GPA
Semrush
Free plan · from $117.33/mo
SEO suite for keyword research, rank tracking and AI search visibility.
- Only Screaming Frog SEO Spider lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Only Semrush lists a web app.
- Semrush also covers keyword research, rank tracking and backlink analysis.
- 2.0GPA
Ahrefs
Free plan · from $29/mo
SEO toolset for backlinks, keyword research, audits and rank tracking.
- Only Screaming Frog SEO Spider lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Only Ahrefs lists a web app.
- Only Ahrefs lists a browser extension.
- 2.4GPA
SEO PowerSuite
Free plan · from $19.95/mo
Four desktop SEO apps for rankings, audits, backlinks and outreach.
- SEO PowerSuite also covers keyword research, rank tracking and backlink analysis.
- 2.0GPA
Seobility
Free plan · from $69.90/mo
Site audits, rank tracking and backlink monitoring in one web app.
- Only Screaming Frog SEO Spider lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Only Seobility lists a web app.
- Seobility also covers keyword research, rank tracking and backlink analysis.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Screaming Frog SEO Spider free?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider has a free plan. Free version, no sign-up: crawls up to 500 URLs at a time with the core audits, but cannot save crawls, change the crawl configuration, render JavaScript or use integrations.
How much does Screaming Frog SEO Spider cost?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider lists 2 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Screaming Frog SEO Spider work on?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is available on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Does Screaming Frog SEO Spider offer any discounts?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider publicly lists the following: Volume pricing from 5 licences.
Does Screaming Frog SEO Spider have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Screaming Frog SEO Spider is listed for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Does Screaming Frog SEO Spider have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Screaming Frog SEO Spider is listed for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Is Screaming Frog SEO Spider open source?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does Screaming Frog SEO Spider integrate with?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider's listing names Google Analytics, Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, OpenAI, Gemini, Looker Studio and Google Sheets.
Who makes Screaming Frog SEO Spider?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is made by Screaming Frog Ltd.
What are the alternatives to Screaming Frog SEO Spider?
The closest alternatives to Screaming Frog SEO Spider in our directory are Sitebulb, Semrush, Ahrefs, SEO PowerSuite and Seobility.
How does Screaming Frog SEO Spider compare with other SEO tools?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 12 of the 21 other SEO tools we grade, and level with 3.
Is Screaming Frog SEO Spider good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Screaming Frog SEO Spider B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $23.25 a month when paid by the year for each person, against a middle price of $34.45 for the category: 7 of the 21 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Screaming Frog SEO Spider?
The plain part of Screaming Frog SEO Spider you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Screaming Frog SEO Spider’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Screaming Frog's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Screaming Frog Ltd. Prices change, so check screamingfrog.co.uk before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,880
Tools graded, in 47 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
1,880
tools graded
47
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/screaming-frog
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Screaming Frog SEO Spider: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/screaming-frog
Know someone choosing between SEO tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/screaming-frog/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded SEO tools after Screaming Frog SEO Spider, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- SEO Tools Insider's GuideEvery one of the 22 SEO tools we grade, compared
- Rank Math Insider's GuideWordPress SEO plugin for meta tags, schema, sitemaps and rank tracking3.0 GPA
- Keywords Everywhere Insider's GuideBrowser extension that shows search volume on the sites you browse2.8 GPA
- NeuronWriter Insider's GuideContent editor that scores drafts against the pages already ranking2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Screaming Frog SEO Spider’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Screaming Frog Ltd. Prices and plans change: check screamingfrog.co.uk before you buy.